I find you can make very good beers doing Extract and specialty grains for a lot cheaper than Extract kits.

My LHBS (Local Home Brew Store) I can buy bulk LME (Liquid Malt Extract), I can get it for $2.75 a pound, I can do a 2.5 gallon batch of from scratch beer for about $17 for a case of beer equal to a high-end Micro beer that would cost me $30 for a case

I find you can make very good beers doing Extract and specialty grains for a lot cheaper than Extract kits.

My LHBS (Local Home Brew Store) I can buy bulk LME (Liquid Malt Extract), I can get it for $2.75 a pound, I can do a 2.5 gallon batch of from scratch beer for about $17 for a case of beer equal to a high-end Micro beer that would cost me $30 for a case

If I do an All Grain (AG) I can do a batch for about $12 a case

Thanks for the figures, Trolby. That's what I call significant savings. I am really starting to be persuaded that rather than investing in a Kamado type cooker to save on fuel costs, perhaps I should look to keep my CG, which I still luv anyway, and get started on making me own red and amber ales.

Speaking of ales. I have a new one for show and tell today. You've already seen the Mission St. Amber, well today here is their brown. I'm beginning to feel like anything out of this Steinhaus Brewery is a winner. (I'll also be sharing the Blonde later). This Brown registers at 5.7% and is a little darker and fuller bodied than the Amber to me, and still retains that sense of a highly refined brew.

I can't find that beer by me Beercuer. That beer has gotten some good reviews. Here are some food pairings I found for that beer if you're interested. Cuisine (Barbecue) Cheese (earthy; Camembert, Fontina, nutty; Asiago, Colby, Parmesan) Meat (Beef) perfect choice for the June block party

I can't find that beer by me Beercuer. That beer has gotten some good reviews. Here are some food pairings I found for that beer if you're interested. Cuisine (Barbecue) Cheese (earthy; Camembert, Fontina, nutty; Asiago, Colby, Parmesan) Meat (Beef) perfect choice for the June block party

Rats!... I so wish you could find it, Wiseguy. Oh yeah, and thanks for the pairing ideas. They all sure make great sense to me once again. I especially think of what a companion it would be for a cool day doing a long low and slow smoke. Now I have a new one to post-- it's blonde brother/sister.

Now this one is lighter bodied and colored and seems like the perfect go to thirst quencher on a scorching hot day. It's light bodiedness tempts me to keep chugging. In fact, if they came in a can, I'd probably shotgun a few (haven't done that in ages). Doesn't produce much of a head, but still gives that great tingling sensation. I get this feeling it would pair especially well with pizza, and on game days, with other sports foods.

I was at the home brewers conference last week in Philly. So many good beers I haven't drank that much in 3 days since my 20's. I forgot the name of the home brew club but they were from Maryland they had a hot pepper ale that was great. All the beer that was available that hot pepper ale is stuck in my mind. I have to find a recipe for it.

New here, and not really a beer drinker, per se. I have been known to order a Michelob draft at a pizza parlor or Dos Eces ("XX") in 'Chipotles', but other than that, I preferred wine - until I visited a 'BJ's Restaurant & Brewhouse' and tried their 'Jeremiah Red' Irish Red Strong Ale (7.3% Alc). This dense (high specific gravity) ale had a perfect balance of sweetness (from 5 imported specialty malts) to bitterness (25 IBU) for my taste. This is NOT a 'Chug-a-lug' beer, but a 'Sippin'' Ale. I sip mine from a 9 oz. Bodum insulated double walled glass.

This beer left a strong impression in my mind to the point that we were spending too much time and money at the restaurant just to get this draft beer ($5+ pint, $3.50+ lunch special). I even tried their bottled take-out (pasteurized) version, but the bottled version tasted like horse piss - worse taste of any beer I've tasted. Bottom line, my wife bought me/us a 'Danby' Kegerator which I added a tower cooler and insulated the tower and cap with foil/bubble/bubble/foil insulation and replaced all metal items in the beer path with stainless fittings. We regularly buy 5 gal. mini-kegs @ $60 (full 15 gal. kegs @ $150 also available, but impossible to get upstairs) every two weeks.

This Ale, being very dense, is sensitive to over carbonization. When served at the restaurant it has little or no head from their 80% CO2 20 % Nitrogen system, and to duplicate this appearance required the tower cooler and reduced CO2 pressure to 7 psi., otherwise excessive foaming resulted. I even made a "condom" from the same foil/bubble/bubble/foil insulation for the "Perl" faucet to keep the faucet at the same low temperature, otherwise the first portion drawn was foamy.

This Ale is only available from the restaurant in the western states, so when I am out of the area, my second choice usually available everywhere is the 'Killian Red' labeled Coors beer which is a thinner, much less robust but has a similar taste - not the same overall quality, but acceptable. If you can find 'Jeremiah Red' in your area, give it a try. I highly recommend it. I find it works well with ALL food and cooking styles.

I was at the home brewers conference last week in Philly. So many good beers I haven't drank that much in 3 days since my 20's. I forgot the name of the home brew club but they were from Maryland they had a hot pepper ale that was great. All the beer that was available that hot pepper ale is stuck in my mind. I have to find a recipe for it.

I have made hot pepper beer and was quite good, especially if you like a Redeye or "Poorman's Bloody Mary" (Beer and tomato juice)

Haven't checked into this thread in awhile and it sure has grown. Thanks wiseguy for those links to kits for brewing beer. I've always wanted to get started in it, but been intimidated. Putting serious thought into getting that kit by Northern Brewer. I think a one gallon kit would be ideal for me until I figure out if I want to go further. There's a Home Brewing place near me, but I've never been in. There "starter" kit costs more and doesn't seem to be as nice, though. Check it out and let me know what you think.

Haven't tried anything new lately, but alot of people I know have been drinking the Shiner Ruby Redbird. Not much of a fan myself, but I don't like grapefruit. Anybody tried it?

"Shiner Ruby Redbird is brewed with genuine Texas Ruby Red Grapefruit, the signature sweet citrus of the Rio Grande Valley, and ginger. This lager beer features grapefruit tartness and finishes with a 'lil kick of ginger. With Texas Ruby Red Grapefruit and ginger, Shiner Ruby Redbird is sure to be a crisp and refreshing summer beer. Shiner Ruby Redbird is now available in cans, too."

I have no experience with cooper products so I can't offer much advice on the extract. As for the kit not bad but it is lacking for $15 more you can get this kit from Northern brewer http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/brewing/beer-equipment-starter-kits/essential-brewing-starter-kitit also comes with an extract kit, how to DVD and things you will need like a bottle filler, auto siphon, sanitizer and cleaner. If you go with this kit choose the Irish Red Ale very good beer. BBQ and brewing are great hobbies my theory when the collapse happens us brewers and smokers will rule the world